In 2015, consumers of all ages are extremely connected — the average US online adult uses more than four connected devices, and 70% use a smartphone. Marketers today want to know who the early adopters are, how far behind the laggards are, and what types of technologies they need to incorporate into their marketing and customer interaction mix.

Our annual report on The State Of Consumers And Technology: Benchmark 2015, US answers these questions. This data-rich report is a graphical analysis of a range of topics about consumers and technology and serves as a benchmark for US consumers’ level of technology adoption, usage, and attitudes. Our annual benchmark report is based on Forrester's Technographics® online benchmark survey that we've been fielding since 1998.

Because of sharp differences in technology adoption by age, we analyze our findings through a generational lens, including Gen Z, Gen Y, Gen X, Younger Boomers, Older Boomers, and the Golden Generation. So what did we find this year? Not surprisingly, younger generations lead in technology uptake, with Gen Yers leading the way — showing the highest uptake of Internet-connected TVs, smartphones, and tablets. Older generations lag behind, but even members of the Golden Generation use more than three connected devices, on average.

Wearables are a hot topic in 2015, and companies like Fitbit and Apple have established a base of customers in the wearable market. In a recent blog post, my colleague Julie Ask explains what’s fueling growth in the wearables market (hint: it’s related to another type of device). But one thing is clear — consumer adoption has taken off. One in five US online adults uses a wearable device. The graphic below shows generational uptake of wearable devices — and Gen Yers are the early adopters, boasting a 35% adoption rate.

 

These are just a sneak peek at the insights we capture. Our analysis is based on Forrester’s annual online benchmark survey that we run in our North American Consumer Technographics program. The full data set includes almost 2,000 data points and data on more than 150 US brands. It is our biggest consumer survey — in fact, it's the biggest and longest-running survey of consumers and technology in the world — and it covers the impact of technology on a variety of consumer markets, including automotive, consumer technology, banking, healthcare, marketing, media, retail, and travel. For more information, contact data@forrester.com.